The drive-to buyer
In the Census gross flows, Charlotte sends about 2,150 people a year to Charleston and Atlanta about 1,230, the two largest raw inflows from anywhere, and Kiawah's brokerage describes Charlotte as a drive-to market alongside its New York and California relocators. Charlotte is roughly three and a half hours by car; Atlanta roughly four and a half to five. That changes the brief. A relocating household buys the house it will live in. A drive-to household buys the house it will arrive at on Friday evening forty weekends a year, and the questions are about use: who maintains it, whether it can be rented, what the club does for a weekend, and how the tax status works when the primary residence is in North Carolina or Georgia.
The 6 percent house
South Carolina assesses an owner-occupied legal residence at 4 percent of fair market value and other real property, including a second home, at 6 percent, under Section 12-43-220. A Charleston weekend house is, by definition, the 6 percent kind, and the bill should be modeled before the offer rather than discovered at closing. DHG runs it on every property a client is considering. General information, not tax advice; your accountant should see the numbers.
Which islands let you rent
If offsetting the carry with rental income matters, the island decides. Sullivan's Island has prohibited short-term vacation rentals since about 2001; it is the wrong island for rental income and the right one for a house that will never have a rental next door. Isle of Palms licenses short-term rentals, which is why its oceanfront draws second-home buyers who rent in the off months. Seabrook had 588 active rental permits in early 2024 and has studied caps. Kiawah runs rentals through the resort and private managers, subject to the island's covenants. Daniel Island and the peninsula are governed by the City of Charleston's rules and by individual association documents. DHG confirms the current ordinance and the specific property's permit status before a client relies on either.
Lock-and-leave or club
Two kinds of weekend house. The lock-and-leave: a Daniel Island home or a peninsula condominium that runs itself between visits, with an association, a manager and nothing to winterize. The club house: Kiawah or Seabrook, where membership organizes the weekend, from golf to the beach club to dinner, and where the club documents decide the deal. On Kiawah, membership comes with select qualifying properties, cannot be added later, and is mandatory in Cassique and The Settlement; on Seabrook it is mandatory on every purchase with a seven-year minimum. A Charlotte household that will use the house every other weekend tends to choose the club island; one that will use it one weekend a month tends to choose the lock-and-leave.
What the budget buys
Sullivan's Island, 2025 median $4,200,000. Kiawah, first-half 2026 single-family median $3,975,000. Isle of Palms, 2025 median $2,660,000 and a June 2026 monthly median of $3,230,000. Daniel Island, 2025 median $2,110,000, 26 days on market. Seabrook, 2025 median $1,460,000. Downtown Charleston, 2025 median $1,940,000 and a June 2026 monthly median of $2,640,000. At $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 a drive-to buyer can be on the ocean on Isle of Palms, a row or two back on Sullivan's, on a Kiawah lot with membership, or on deep water on Daniel Island.
How DHG runs it
A conversation about how the house will actually be used, which decides the island before price does. A short list across the islands and the lock-and-leave options. The rental ordinance, the club documents and the elevation certificate on each candidate, in writing, before an offer. A property manager and a dock contractor on the vendor list the day you close. And a listing campaign, when the time comes, that reaches the next drive-to buyer in Charlotte and Atlanta through Southern Escapes and the Christie's network.
Sources
Every figure in this article traces to a source below. Market data carries a date because it changes.
| Data point | Source |
|---|---|
| Census metro-to-metro flows to Charleston | Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments, Feb 13, 2023 (Census metro-to-metro flows, 2016 to 2020) bcdcog.com/metro-area-to-metro-area-migration-flows-2 |
| Census gross inflows by metro | Stacker, Jun 23, 2022 (Census 2015 to 2019 flows) stacker.com/stories/south-carolina/charlestonsc/metros-sending-most-people-charleston-sout |
| Out-of-state share of sea-island buyers; Realtor.com appreciation figure | The Post and Courier, 2026 Predictions, Dec 27, 2025 www.postandcourier.com/2026-predictions-what-will-the-real-estate-market-in-charleston-loo |
| 2025 submarket medians and days on market; South Carolina growth | The Post and Courier, Jan 16, 2026 www.postandcourier.com/business/real_estate/charleston-sc-homes-price-sale-2026/article_6b |
| $2M+ closings up 30.6 percent year to date | William Means Real Estate, How's the Market?, Sep 24, 2026 charlestonrealestate.com/blog/hows-the-market |
| June 2026 downtown median | The Cassina Group, Market Report, June 2026 www.thecassinagroup.com/blog/market-report-june-2026/ |
| Kiawah first-half 2026 median | Pam Harrington Exclusives, Kiawah Island Q2 2026 report pamharringtonexclusives.com/kiawah-island-q2-2026-real-estate-market-report/ |
| Assessment ratios: 4 percent owner-occupied, 6 percent other real property | South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 12, Chapter 43, Section 12-43-220 (assessment ratios) www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t12c043.php |
| Freeboard and floodplain rules | City of Charleston, Floodplain Development charleston-sc.gov/2382/Floodplain-Development |
| Board of Architectural Review | City of Charleston, Board of Architectural Review charleston-sc.gov/293 |
| Kiawah membership structure | Kiawah Island Real Estate, Understanding Memberships (updated Jun 24, 2026) www.kiawahisland.com/island-life/understanding-memberships/ |
| Charlotte as a drive-to market | The Post and Courier, Feb 8, 2025 www.postandcourier.com/business/kiawah-island-south-carolina-home-sales-buy-million-presid |
| Sullivan's rental history; Isle of Palms rental contrast | Handsome Properties, Aug 20, 2026 handsomeproperties.com/blog/the-rule-that-built-sullivans-islands-price-premium-just-met-i |
| Seabrook rental permits | The Post and Courier, Feb 13, 2024 www.postandcourier.com/news/seabrook-island-sc-short-term-rental-limits/article_7a6ef920-c |
| Seabrook membership rules | Pam Harrington Exclusives, Seabrook Island Buyer Guide (updated Jul 10, 2026; third party, confirm with the Club and SIPOA) pamharringtonexclusives.com/seabrook-island-buyer-guide/ |
What decides the outcome
A weekend house is bought on how it will be used: rented or not, club or lock-and-leave, 6 percent either way. DHG settles those before the offer so the house is a pleasure on Friday rather than a project.
